Confusion principle

Principle

A drowning person will clutch at a straw. So push them under water then offer
a straw.

How it works

Breaking patterns

Repeating patterns of events help us predict and feel a good
sense of control about the
world. When patterns are are disrupted, then we become uncertain.

Losing control

One of the deep needs we have is to be able to
understand the world around
us. If we understand, then we can
predict what will happen and hence
control our
environment and stay safe. When we cannot make sense of our experiences, we feel
confused and scared and seek a way of getting out of the cognitive deep water in
which we find ourselves.

Unexpected surprise

When we predict, we set up expectation. When the expectation does not
meet what was predicted, we are
surprised and confused and have to stop to
figure out what is going on.

Sends you inside

What is the sound of one hand clapping? What is the sound of a tree falling
in the forest when nobody is there? What is the point of such meaningless Zen
sayings? The clue is in the deeper intent of Zen, where a A major goal is to
find enlightenment. The
confusing koans are designed specifically to send you inside, making you think
so hard about what they mean that you forget yourself, and consequently find nirvana.

Confusion can send you so far inside and so deep that it puts you into a trance.
As you struggle to find a meaning where none exists, the assumption that an
answer must exist sends you on an ever-deepening spiral. Confusion is a method
that is, perhaps unsurprisingly, used by hypnotists as a method of hypnotic
induction.

Clutching at straws

Increasing stress leads to a point when we go from seeking the best solution
to the problem at hand to seeking a solution just to reduce the stress. Herbert
Simon called this 'Satisficing'.

Confusion is used in many persuasion techniques as a way of destabilizing the
other person. Just as a drowning man will clutch at a straw, so also will a
confused person grab at any idea you offer them in the hope that it will help
them crawl out the sea of confusion in which they are wallowing.

So what?

The most common way of confusing someone is simply to overload them. Just keep
giving them things until they crack. It is especially effective if what you are
saying is of interested and makes them think and want to respond.

Overload is multiplied when what is being communicated is complex or
difficult to understand. This effectively shortens the time to the point where
the other person becomes overloaded and needs to stop and process the
information given to them.

There are many written and unwritten rules of conversation and interpersonal
communication. People expect you to follow those rules. If you break them, they
will quickly become confused.